Translation guide
The English verb "crawl" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common uses for learners: moving on hands and knees, moving slowly, and figurative uses like being covered with things or crawling with people. It also includes the internet sense of web crawling.
To move forward on your hands and knees, like a baby or an insect.
The most common verb for crawling on hands and knees. Used for babies, insects, and people moving low to the ground.
The baby is crawling on the floor.
虫が壁を這っていた。
A bug was crawling on the wall.
Literally "to get on all fours." Used when someone gets down on hands and knees, often to look for something or to crawl.
彼は四つん這いになってベッドの下を探した。
He got down on all fours and looked under the bed.
Military term for low crawling or creeping forward while staying flat. Very specific.
兵士たちは匍匐前進で敵陣に近づいた。
The soldiers crawled on their bellies to approach the enemy position.
To move at an extremely slow pace, like heavy traffic or time dragging.
Describes moving slowly and sluggishly. Often used for traffic or a person moving without energy.
渋滞で車がのろのろ進んでいる。
The cars are crawling along in the traffic jam.
Literally "slow like a cow's walk." Used to emphasize extremely slow progress.
交渉は牛歩のように遅い。
The negotiations are crawling along at a snail's pace.
A formal or literary expression meaning "making little progress" or "crawling along." Often used in writing.
復興作業は遅々として進まない。
The reconstruction work is crawling along.
To be full of or covered with moving things, especially insects or people. Often used as "crawling with."
Describes a place teeming with small creatures, especially insects. Very colloquial and vivid.
台所にゴキブリがうじゃうじゃいる。
The kitchen is crawling with cockroaches.
A more general way to say "full of." Can be used for people, insects, or objects. Less vivid than うじゃうじゃ.
公園は人でいっぱいだった。
The park was crawling with people.
Means "swarming" or "crowding." Used when many creatures or people gather in a place.
死体にハエが群がっていた。
Flies were crawling all over the corpse.
The automated process by which search engines scan websites.
Direct loanword from English. Used in tech contexts for web crawling.
Googleのボットがサイトをクロールしている。
Google's bot is crawling the site.
Literally "to patrol the web." A more Japanese-sounding alternative, though クロール is more common.
検索エンジンは定期的にウェブを巡回します。
Search engines crawl the web regularly.
A swimming stroke.
The standard term for the front crawl stroke in swimming.
彼はクロールで泳ぐのが速い。
He is fast at swimming the crawl.
While 這う means "crawl" in the physical sense, it is not used for slow-moving vehicles or time. Use のろのろ進む or similar phrases instead.
車がのろのろ進む。
The car crawls along.
這う focuses on the continuous action of crawling. 四つん這いになる describes the posture of getting on all fours, which may or may not involve moving.
赤ちゃんが這う。
The baby crawls.
四つん這いになって探す。
Get on all fours and search.